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Arborist report for Sixth St. project details trees to be removed

In the packet for last night’s Council meeting, the memo (see the 8 page PDF excerpt) by Joe Stapf, Public Works Director/City Engineer and Brian Erickson, Assistant Public Works Director/Assistant City Engineer included a section titled Other Tree Removal:

The potential removal of any street trees has been a cause for concern during previous projects. As part of the planning process an arborist report was prepared for the trees within the right of way on the planned project corridor. This report inventoried 148 trees and identified five trees that are recommended for removal (high and moderate priority) prior to the start of the project due to poor health. They range in size from 16 to 34 inches in diameter. Seventeen additional trees have been identified for removals due to various reasons including proximity to sidewalk, interference with utility lines, trunk splits and poor form.

During the design process, trees that will sustain moderate to severe root damage are identified. Those trees sustaining severe root damage are recommended for removal since there is a very real possibility the tree will not survive into the future thus representing a future city liability. Also in some cases existing trees have been severely trimmed due to overhead utility lines. Those trees would also be recommended for removal and then be replaced with a more appropriately sized tree species.

In 2011, a funding source was identified to allow for future removal and replacement of those trees that sustain moderate root damage. Staff will be providing additional detail on both ash trees and other trees recommended for removal as part of the design process.

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2 thoughts on “Arborist report for Sixth St. project details trees to be removed”

Our new 5th street was required to have sidewalks on both sides of the street. It seems to me that we overcover our green spaces with concrete.
I don’t know in what planning stage you are working at the moment, but want to vote in favor of less concrete.
norma

Hi Norma, thanks for chiming in here. While decisions about sidewalks in this case aren’t made by voting, online or otherwise, city officials are interested in hearing from residents, particularly those adjacent to the reconstruction.

We’ve not had a blog post about sidewalks so this one about trees will have to suffice for now! (I might move it later.)

How do you balance ‘less concrete’ with ‘more walking infrastructure’ for a residential neighborhood like this one?